Namibia's Caprivi Strip: 4

West Caprivi and the Divundu Kongola road
The road between Divundu and the Kongola bridge on the Kwando River is currently being upgraded, with only the first 40 km tarred. This road is notoriously bad during the wet season and extreme caution should be exercised. The road passes through extensive tracts of typical broad-leafed woodland on Kalahari sand, occasionally dissected by belts of acacia woodland and scrub or grasslands along omurambas or interdunes. Birding is not particularly good anywhere along this road but look out for Bradfield's Hornbill, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Dickinson's Kestrel, Purple Roller and a number of larger raptor species. Towards the Kwando River the interdunes become more defined and some contain small pans which provide some interesting birding in the wet season. Lesser Moorhen, Yellow-crowned Bishop and Sedge Warbler can be common at these small wetlands.

The west bank of the Kwando River
The Kwando River is a narrow, highly channelised river, which rarely floods, with a narrow flood-plain. The riparian habitats are similar to those along the Okavango River but are generally fairly limited in extent and the flood-plains are drier. Large Kalahari sand dunes come down directly onto the flood-plains and are covered by large, tall, mature stands of broad-leafed woodlands, dominated by teak. The junction of the dune and the flood-plain is dominated by typically dense riparian woodland vegetation, and it is in these areas that birding is best.

Just before the bridge over the Kwando River turn north on the road to the main Ministry of Environment and Tourism office at Susuwe (about 4 km). This area has some of the best birding along the Kwando, is accessible by two-wheel-drive vehicle and has a fairly basic unserviced campground. The area is currently unproclaimed but falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, who are planning to proclaim the area in the near future.

Around the office complex search the large trees for Narina's Trogon or listen out for their distinctive two syllable 'ghoo ghoo' call. They are common in these dune slope woodlands and respond readily to tapes. Another speciality of the area is Racket-tailed Roller which should be searched for in the tall teak woodlands just to the south of the office complex. In the summer months Broad-billed Roller and Woodland Kingfisher are both common. Coppery Sunbird is another summer visitor to the area and can be most easily seen feeding on the large purple flowers of the teak trees on the dunes. Retz's Red-billed Helmet Shrike, African Emerald Cuckoo, Red-chested Cuckoo, African Striped Cuckoo, Orange-breasted Bush Shrike, Grey-headed Bush Shrike, Greater Honeyguide, Bradfield's Hornbill, Crested Barbet, Purple-banded Sunbird, Eastern Black-headed and African Golden Orioles and several species of woodpecker, particularly Bearded, should be seen in these woodlands. White-browed Scrub Robin and White-browed Robin-Chat are easily seen, but Red-capped Robin-Chat remains extremely difficult to find, although their mimicking calls can be heard every morning.

The understorey of scrub is good for Palaearctic migrants, but species such as Thrush Nightingale and Eurasian River Warbler are more often heard than seen. Raptors are also well represented in the area. Wahlberg's Eagle is common in the summer months and Steppe, Lesser Spotted and other Palaearctic migrants should be searched for following good rains or at termite emergences. Black Sparrowhawk has been recorded at Susuwe but is very rare. Other accipiters include African Little and Ovampo Sparrowhawk, Gabar, Little-banded and African Goshawk and Lizard Buzzard. Search the trees along the margins of open areas for African Cuckoo Falcon which are not uncommon here. African Wood, White-faced Scops, Barn and Marsh Owls, Spotted Eagle-Owl and Pearl-spotted and African Barred Owlets, have all been recorded around the camp. Be careful not to confuse the booming calls of Ground Hornbill (most often heard in the early morning) with Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, which can also be heard calling at Susuwe.

The backwaters, channels and grasslands of the flood-plains directly to the north of Susuwe hold a wide suite of wetland birds, including cormorants, herons, storks, ibis, wildfowl and crakes. Early morning is the best time to search for Black and Coppery-tailed Coucal as they tend to sit out sunning themselves during this period. The 'kapok kapok' call of Black Coucal is heard often, but this is a notoriously difficult bird to see. Breeding colonies of the distinctive black headed subspecies of Spotted-backed Weaver, Red-headed Quelea, Southern Brown-throated Weaver and isolated nests of Golden Weaver can be found in the reed beds.

The flood-plain grasslands are the best areas to see Denham's Bustard and Black-bellied Bustard, but these two species are never abundant, tend to be eruptive and can be very sneaky. Desert and Fan-tailed Cisticola call constantly during the wet season and Little Button Quail and Harlequin Quail should be easily flushed, especially in the early morning. Collared Pratincoles breed in fairly large numbers on islands which have been denuded of grass.

Mammals are not as abundant as in the Mahango, but caution is still necessary and it is inadvisable to walk around at night as Hippo often feed in close proximity to the campsite. Birding towards the Angolan border is not very different to the Susuwe area and as this area is largely uncontrolled, I do not advise going more than about 5 km north of Susuwe. Ask about current conditions before taking off.

The main mammal populations along the Kwando River occur south of the main road (B8) but this area is unfortunately only accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicles. To access this area drive south along the sandy track directly opposite the Susuwe turnoff. The birds are largely the same as around Susuwe as the habitats are the same. The appeal of travelling here is that the tracks take you through some of the best unspoiled countryside in Namibia this is real 'wild Africa'. About 10 km south of the main road is Nambwa campsite which is beautifully laid out under some large trees on a small flood-plain island. A little further south along the flood-plain lies a large cutoff lagoon (called 'Lagoon') and Horseshoe, an old river oxbow, which are excellent areas for watching all kinds of wildlife. Large herds of Hippo can be seen at both sites. Roan Antelope, Sable Antelope, Impala, Greater Kudu, Red Lechwe, Reedbuck, Buffalo and Elephant are regularly seen here. Search the grassier areas for Cheetah and Serval, especially in the early morning. Wild Dog are irregularly recorded all along the flood-plain.

Mudumu National Park
Mudumu National Park lies on the east bank of the Kwando River about 40 km south of the main Kongola Katima road (B8) on the D3511 which runs to Sangwali and Linyanti. It constitutes about 85,000 ha of mixed woodlands and narrow flood-plains along the main channel of the Kwando River. Large areas of the eastern part of the park are nutrient-poor sands which are covered by silverleaf terminalia, Terminalia sericea, and coarse grasslands. These areas are relatively unproductive from both a birding and other wildlife point of view. Closer to the river on heavier soils called 'black cotton soils' the woodlands are dominated by mopane, Colophospermum mopane, a distinctive tree with a large leaf shaped like a cow's footprint. These woodlands are also relatively unproductive but have their own distinctive suite of birds. The narrow fringe of riparian woodland and the narrow flood-plain are the most diverse from a vegetation point of view and it is here that birding is at its best and over 350 species have been recorded in the park.

The road infrastructure within the park is limited. There is a track that turns west off the D3511 to Lianshulu Lodge about 5 km from the northern park boundary. This joins a track that runs south close to the river to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism ranger station at Nakatwa, which is also directly connected via a narrow road to the D3511. Lianshulu Lodge is a beautifully laid out luxury lodge on the banks of the Kwando River. They offer a variety of activities including boating and game drives. The only other accommodation available within the park is an unserviced camp site at Nakatwa. Both places can be reached in ordinary cars but the road between Nakatwa and Lianshulu should not be attempted following heavy rains. Other tracks should only be attempted with four wheel-drive vehicles.

The Terminalia woodlands are unlikely to produce large numbers of either species or birds, but are the best place to see Coqui Francolin, Orange River Francolin (rare), Fawn-coloured Lark, Flappet Lark, Grey Cisticola, Lilac-breasted Roller and in the grassland patches, Black-bellied Bustard and, rarely, Denham's Bustard. Look out for the elusive Oribi in the grasslands running along Lianshulu's airfield, as well as Temminck's Courser.

The mopane woodlands are the preferred habitat of the stunning White-headed Black Chat which can seen virtually anywhere. Bennett's, Golden-tailed, Cardinal and Bearded Woodpecker are relatively common, as are Crested and Pied Barbets. Several small raptors including Lizard Buzzard, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Shikra and African Little Sparrowhawk should be seen on most visits. Mopane woodlands seem to be the habitat in which to find Common Scops Owl and you should hear them throughout the night. White-faced Scops and Barn Owls, African Barred and Pearl-spotted Owlets have also been recorded here. Bird parties occur in this woodland type and usually comprise Southern Black Tit, Long-billed Crombec, Black Cuckoo-shrike, White Helmet Shrike and Burnt-necked Eremomela. Long-tailed and White-crowned Shrikes are also relatively common in these woodlands.

The riverine fringe should yield typical species such as Yellow-bellied and Terrestrial Brownbul, White-browed Robin-Chat, Ashy and Paradise Flycatchers, Swamp and Tropical Boubous, Orange-breasted Bush Shrike and Retz's Red-billed Helmet Shrike. The gardens at Lianshulu are particularly pleasant to bird in and you should get good views of Lesser Striped Swallow, White-rumped Babbler, Black Crake, Violet-backed Starling, Collared Sunbird and Thick-billed Weaver. Pin-tailed, Shaft-tailed and Paradise Whydahs have all been recorded in the area.

The flood-plains and river are not generally accessible except via Lianshulu's boats, but patient viewing at Nakatwa should produce a good range of wetland birds. Black, White-browed and Coppery-tailed Coucal all occur here but are difficult to see.